Paper cup



Julyze, 1941.

wjG. JoPsoN PAPER CUP Filed Oct. 26, 1938 Patented July 29, 1941 PAPER CUP William G. Jepson, Williamsport, Pa., assignor to C. A. Reed Company, Williamsport, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application October 26, 1938, Serial No. 237,034

9 Claims.

Paper cups are commonly packaged in nested relation and unprovided with handles which would interfere with such nesting. When such cups are used for containing hot or very cold materials, however, they are very inconvenient to handle as the extreme temperatures from the contents make it uncomfortable, if not impossible, for the cup to be grasped by the hand.

This invention, therefore, has for an object to provide an individual handle for each cup which is so related thereto that the cups can be nested for packaging, but which when it is so desired, may be made effective for grasping by the user, protecting him from contact with the cup itself and from the eiects of the extreme temperatures of the cup contents.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the cup embodying this invention.

Figures 2, 3, and 4 are detail sections on the correspondingly numbered section lines of Figure 1.

Figures 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspective views of a cup showing certain modications.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, at l is indicated a paper cup of conventionalgform, including a side wall member 2' bent into circular form and having its end portions 3 and 1l arranged in lapping relation and secured together forming inner and outer layer extending substantially the full height of the cup. A bottom 5 bridges the wall member 2 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner whereby to form a cup capable of holding liquids without leakage. When such a cup is used to hold Very hot or cold materials, it may be quite inconvenient to grasp the cup in the hand, and in order that this may not be necessary during use of the cup, a handle strip i@ of cardboardfiber, or other suitable material has been provided. As shown, the upper end of this, handle strip I0 is downwardly turned and is secured adjacent to the top of the cup. As shown this is done by inserting its downwardly turned upper end through a slot i l in the outer layer 4 of the cup sothat this upper end passes down between the inner and outer layers 3 and 4, and it may there be secured by any suitable means, such, for example, as a suitable adhesive. then turned downwardly, as shown, to form a handle loop l5 and its lower end portion is inserted between the layers 3 and 4, as through a slot I6, through the outer layer It is then preferably brought out through a slot Il in the outer The strip is `drawal of the handle strip.

layer 4. By pulling on the extremity IS of the handle, the loop portion I5 may be decreased in size, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, to such an extent that the cups may be nested one in the other in a stack without diiculty so that they may be packaged as though they were not provided with handles. When removed from the stack, it is an easy matter to grasp the strip I0 above the slot I6 and pulling upwardly thereon, increase the size of the loop I until it is convenient for grasping, the lower end of the handle strip sliding upwardly back of the retaining strip It formed between the slots I6 and l i in the outer layer ll. In order to limit the amount of withdrawal possible so as to prevent accidental complete withdrawal of the lower end ci the handle strip from its engagement with the cup, this lower end may be widened to present shoulders I9 at the upper end which may engage against the lower edge of the bridging strip i8 and limit the with- Where this construction is employed, in the initial assembly, the upper end of the handle strip may be inserted from beneath through the slots Il and I6 and back of the strip i8, and may then be turned.

downwardly and inserted through the slot Il where it is secured.

Should it not be deemed necessary to secure the lower end of the handle strip against complete withdrawal from the cup, the lower slot Il may be omitted and the strip inserted through the slot I6 as shown in Figure 5, and the lower end of the handle strip Aslidably received between the layers 3 and 4. With this construction the strip may be secured iirst at its upper end and then its lower end inserted through the slot I6 of the outer layer 4.

Another construction is shown in Figure 6, in which the slots Hi and il are replaced by openings 20 and 2l through which the lower end of the handle strip may be inserted, passing inwardly between the layers 3 and 4 through the opening 2l beneath the bridging strip 22 and then outwardly of the layer 4 through the opening 2l.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that there is provided a handle element which may be readily collapsed close to the side of the cup where it will not interfere with the stacking of the cups, but may, when it is desired to use the handle, be retracted sufciently from its lower end so as to form a handle loop of sufficient size t-o be grasped by the fingers of the user without requiring the ngers to make contact with the side wall of the cup.

From the foregoing description of certain embodiments of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various change. and modications might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as deiined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a cup having overlapping layers of sheet material extending substantially the full height of the cup, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material secured at one end to said cup and slidable remote from said end through an opening through said outer layer between said layers. -1

2. The combination with a cup having overlapping layers of sheet material extending substantially the full height of the cup at one side, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured -adjacent to the top edge of said cup,

from which said strip extends downwardly outside of said outer layer and extends slidably through an opening in said outer layer between said layers.

3. The combination with a cup having overlapping layers of sheet material at one side, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured between said layers adjacent to the top edge of said cup, from which said strip extends downwardly outside of said outer layer and extends slidably through an opening in said outer layer between said layers.

4. The combination with a cup having overlapping layers of sheet material at one side, oi a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured adjacent to the top edge of said cup from which said strip extends downwardly outside of said outer layer, said outer layer having a pair of spaced openings therethrough forming a horizontal retaining strip, the lower end portion of said handle strip being passed back of said retaining strip in slidable relation thereto.

5. The combination with a cup having overlapping layers of sheet material at one side, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured adjacent to the top edge of said cup from which said strip extends downwardly outside of said outer layer, said outer layer having d handle strip having a portion at its lower end of sufcient width to form a stop limiting the upward motion of said end and preventing its detachment from said cup.

6. The combination with a cup having a side wall formed of a piece of sheet material having its end portions overlapped and secured together for substantially the full height of the cup, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material secured at one end to said cup and slidable between said portions remote from said secured end through an opening through the outer of said portions.

7. The combination with a cup having a side wall formed of a piece of sheet material having its end portions overlapped and secured together for substantially the full height of the cup, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured between said portions, and its lower end extending through an opening in the outer of said portions and between said portions.

8. The combination with a cup having a side wall formed of a piece of sheet material having its end portions overlapped and secured together for substantially the full height of said cup, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured adjacent to the top edge of said cup from which said strip extends downwardly outside of said portions, the outer of said portions having a pair of spaced openings therethrough forming a horizontal retaining strip, the lower end portion of said handle strip being passed back of said retaining strip in slidable relation thereto.

9. The combination with a cup having a side wall formed of a piece of sheet material having its end portions overlapped and secured together for substantially the full height oi the cup, of a handle comprising a strip of sheet material having its upper end downwardly turned and secured adjacent to the top edge of said cup from which said strip extends downwardly outside of said portions, the outer of said portions having a pair of spaced openings therethrough forming a horizontal retaining strip, the lower end portion of said handle strip being passed back of said retaining strip in slidable relation thereto, said handle strip having a portion at its lower end of suieient width to form a stop limiting the upward motion of said end and preventing its detachment from said cup.

VJLLIAM. G. JOPSON. 

